ST. CLOUD, Minn. – Andrew Kinney drilled a two-run home run over the right field wall in the top of the ninth inning to snap a 3-3 tie and lead Southwest Minnesota State to a thrilling 5-3 victory over St. Cloud State on Saturday at the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Tournament in St. Cloud.

SMSU (28-17), ranked No. 8 in the NCAA region rankings, will now face Minnesota Duluth on Sunday starting at 11 a.m. at Faber Field.  SMSU will have to beat both UMD and MSU on Sunday for the title.  SCSU, ranked No. 5 in this week's rankings, falls to 37-15 and will have to wait until Sunday to find out if they qualify for the NCAA region tournament.

It was the second go-ahead homer for Kinney in consecutive games in the tournament.  He belted a solo homer in the seventh inning on Thursday to break a 2-2 game versus Wayne State, which SMSU eventually won 13-2.

Kinney finished today's game 4 for 5 with two RBI and two runs scored.  Chris Eichten and Tyler Jendro each finished with two hits, while Jendro also earned the save, his fourth of the season, recording the final two outs of the game.

Tyler Paulson tossed a strong three innings of relief to earn the win, allowing just one run on three hits with two strikeouts.  Adam Schrader started for the Mustangs and lasted 4.2 innings, allowing two runs, one earned, on four hits, while striking out five and walking two.

The Mustangs opened the scoring in the top of the first as Derick Swenson led off with a walk and moved to third on a single by Andrew Kinney.  Cody Curry then hit a deep sac fly to center field to score Swenson and put SMSU in the lead at 1-0.

SMSU added another run in the second to take a 2-0 lead.  Tyler Jendro led off with and single and with one out moved to second on a single by Chris Eichten.  Bobby Zellmann then followed with a perfect hit-and-run RBI single to left field to score Jendro.

The score remained 2-0 until the fifth when SCSU rallied to tie the game.  Tyler Horning started the inning with a homer to left field.  With one out, Schrader walked back-to-back batters, before recording a strikeout.  Jared Pick then entered the game and on a failed pick-off attempt, threw the ball down the first base line, allowing the tying run to score. 

The two teams headed to the seventh inning tied, before SMSU once again regained the lead.  With one out, Kinney singled and advanced to third on a single by Cody Curry.  Tyler Fayden then gave SMSU a 3-2 lead with sac fly to center field.

SCSU came right back and tied the contest in the bottom of the inning.  The Huskies put runners on first and third with no outs, but Paulson coaxed a grounder to third base that the Mustangs turned into a double play and nearly a triple play.  Once the second out was recorded by Kinney at first base, he fired to Zellmann at home, but SCSU runner Steve Rindelaub just beat the tag to tie the game at 3-3.

Following Kinney's home run, SCSU put together a late rally starting with a one-out single.  Jendro then came into the game and allowed a bunt single, to put runners on first and second, but a fly out and ground out ended the threat and gave SMSU the victory.